...And then it rained for forty days and for forty nights... O.K. that is quite a bit of a stretch, but we have definitely had some rain! It rained all day yesterday (Friday), last night and most of today (Saturday), with a forecast for ...yep, you guessed it - rain! The weather wise say that we have a possibility of 1-1/2 inches of more rain by tomorrow morning. Personally, we have had just about enough, already. It has been much cooler (or as Marilyn likes to put it in her very frank manner, 'colder') over the past couple of days. But once again, those forward-seeing weather folks at the NWS are calling for sunny and warmer on Monday (70F); and, warmer yet on Tuesday and into the rest of next week with temps in the low to mid-80'sF. That would be more like normal, although an accurate description of normal for the Dakota's is 'if you don't like the weather that you have, wait a few minutes and it will change'. And actually, you know it is not bad at all, it just all goes with the territory.
We got a call last night from some fellow RV friends of ours who are headed east toward a class reunion in Iowa, and they told us that they have a few extra days to stop by the Hills and say 'hello' to us, so we are looking forward to seeing them. They were in Rawlins, Wyoming and expect to turn north at Sidney, Nebraska (home of Cabela's by the way) and head on up our way. Ralph and Tammy are super nice people from San Clemente, California who we saw at our Pahrump, Nevada rally about three weeks ago. It should be fun having them visit here in the Black Hills, and we always enjoy visits by any of our great RVing friends.
This is an interesting place, Elk Creek RV Resort that is. It is out in the country, in a truly gorgeous setting and is comprised of about 328 acres. There is the 'main' campground (which we are located in) and then over the hill (about a good 1/4 mile or so) is another part of the campground. There are also located on the property, about three homes (the owner and two rentals), plus four-duplex cabins (all nice, newer, modern with full kitchenettes). Then there is the lodge, ...ah yes, the lodge. A large modern wood building of about 20,000 sq. ft., up on a knoll, that has a set-up with outside tables along the large covered front porch. There is a full commercial kitchen, and a smaller "standard" kitchen, plus a long full-bar in the back area. During "Bike Week" (that would be the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally that is held the first full week of every August) full meals are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although Bike Week encompasses one full week 'officially', it in reality is more like about two or three weeks before and two to three weeks after that 'official' week (and yes, it does have a huge economic impact on the Black Hills area. With over 500,000 bikes (and all that entails) every summer in attendance, this place, along with many, many others like it, are full to capacity. This is when most of these campgrounds like Elk Creek are put into a profitable position for the rest of the year.
Speaking of the lodge, it is booked almost every weekend (Friday(in/set-up), Saturday, Sunday(clean-up/out) for weddings and receptions (outside of Bike Week). It is a great place for a wedding and/or receptions. And in the warm weather, the swimming pool is right below the lodge for the kids (and even big-kids too) to go for a swim while they are here.It is a nice lodge and this is a nice, comfortable campground located close to most things needed (groceries, fuel, steakhouse, saloon, etc.). And the quiet, emerald green ambiance is surely a big plus too.
The weather wizards are calling for more rain tomorrow, so I think I know what we will be doing - a lot of relaxing (or maybe that should be, extra-relaxing), some movies and of course a good book. Actually, the rainy weather here is not all that bad since there is no real traffic, less cars and trucks due to the rain, and the beauty of the emerald green hills, meadows and valleys are still there, and enjoyable to see. And we are hopeful that that the sun will be back with us come Monday. We'll see, won't we...
WOW, you sure getting around. Sounds very interesting, but you could use a little less rain, but then again, it might not be as green. Oh, by the way, watch out for those bikers, but enjoy the rest of the trip.
ReplyDeleteTom R